It's Mamata vs Suvendu in Nandigram! BJP announces Bengal list

The BJP on Saturday announced its candidates’ list for the first two phases of West Bengal elections, according to which, the party’s prized catch Suvendu Adhikari willl be contesting against Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee from his home turf Nandigram.

The first list, featuring candidates for 57 seats, mostly old BJP leaders with preference given to only a few recent inductees, was announced by BJP General Secretary Arun Singh. The Baghmundi seat, included in these 57, has been allocated to ally All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU).

The list featured prominent names like former cricketer Ashoke Dinda and ex-IPS officer Bharati Ghosh. Dinda has been fielded from the Moyna seat against TMC’s incumbent MLA Sangram Kumar Dolui. With Ghosh in fray against TMC’s Humayun Kabir, the Debra seat is going to see an IPS vs IPS contest.

With this, BJP has announced candidates for all but three of the 60 seats that’ll go to polls in the first two of the eight-phase elections. Making the announcement at a press meeting, Singh claimed “jungle raaj” prevails in the state and voters have made up their mind to oust the Trinamool Congress and elect the BJP to power this time.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to address a rally in Kolkata’s Brigade Parade ground on Sunday, his first after the announcement of the poll dates.

The Nandigram seat is going to be the most-watched with CM Mamata up against Suvendu, once her trusted lieutenant from Medinipur who joined the BJP last year. Recently, Suvendu declared in a rally that whoever representing the BJP contests from Nandigram will defeat Mamata by at least 50,000 votes.

Related news | Left Front announces candidates for first 2 phases of Bengal polls

Mamata Banerjee announced her party’s full list of 291 candidates on Friday, leaving three seats in Darjeeling for ally GJM. She said she will file her Nandigram nomination at Haldia at 3:30 PM on March 10. This time, she will contest only from Nandigram and has given up her current seat Bhowanipore to a party colleague.

Nandigram, the site of protests against the Left government had ignited a popular upsurge and catapulted Mamata’s TMC to power in 2011. Adhikari had won from Nandigram in 2016 and resigned recently before crossing over to the saffron party.

Elections to the 294-member West Bengal assembly is set to be held in an unprecedented eight phases beginning March 27 and ending April 29. Votes will be counted May 2.

(With inputs from agencies)